An Excerpt from Cameron Dane's Finding Home Rhone yanked Adam into an alcove and pulled the younger man into his arms. Adam jerked against him, but Rhone slid his arm around Adam’s waist and held him close. Leaning back against the brick wall, he tucked Adam against him in a lover’s embrace. While watching the street out of the corner of his eye, he dipped down and put his mouth against Adam’s ear. “Tell me you can see him from over my shoulder.” He pretended to nuzzle Adam’s neck. Christ, the man really did have the warmest skin. “If you look to your right, he should be seated outside that pretentious little bistro.” Chuckling, Adam dipped his forehead and rested it against Rhone’s shoulder, stifling a bigger laugh. “Well, I’m not wrong,” Rhone said, affronted. Still, Adam shook with suppressed amusement, so Rhone squeezed him around the waist to get him to stop. “It’s an uppity little place that charges twenty-five bucks for a fancy burger and fries.” “Did a date not go well there?” Adam asked softly. His breath tickled against Rhone’s neck, and the hairs on Rhone’s arms under his shirt stood on end. Before Rhone could concern himself, Adam shifted excitedly against him. “Wait, wait.” Confidence and new life suddenly infused his voice. “Someone just joined our guy. A young woman. Damn it, she just kissed his cheek, and we didn’t get it. Let me get my phone.” As Adam dug his hand into his front pocket, his knuckles grazed the front of Rhone’s jeans. Rhone’s cock twitched automatically, seeking the touch. Quickly, Adam pulled his hand from between them. “God, I’m sorry.” “Don’t worry about me,” Rhone whispered harshly. “Take the fucking picture so we can get out of here.” “I am, damn it.” Adam adjusted slightly again, and Rhone could feel the flat of the phone resting against his shoulder. “I’m not gonna blow this chance to prove myself to you. I’m not an idiot.” “I never said you were.” A couple walked by, and Rhone caressed his hand down Adam’s back to his ass, cupping and kneading the firm cheek. Letting his palm linger and the tips of his fingers slide between Adam’s legs from behind, Rhone watched as the man and woman gasped and hurried by, noticing only that one man touched another intimately. They never even glanced at the phone Adam had poking out over Rhone’s shoulder. Jesus, Adam feels all sleek and full of hard muscle under my fingers. Curling his digits against a bizarre desire to reach farther in, Rhone slid his hand back up to the small of Adam’s back. “How are we doing? Have they done anything else?” “Whoa.” Adam whistled low, brushing more warm breath against Rhone’s neck. “He just ate about half the girl’s face in a kiss I don’t think the people sitting next to them appreciated seeing. Will that do for the wife, or do we need to trail them and see if they hit a motel?” A familiar pain settled in Rhone’s heart. Christ, he hated this part of his job. The cheating spouse never disappointed him. “No, that ought to do it. If she wants more, we’ll follow him around again tomorrow.” “I don’t think I’d want to see it,” Adam murmured. He pulled back, showing Rhone solemn, dark eyes. “I feel bad that I got excited for a minute catching the husband being unfaithful. We did the job, but now I feel a little sick.” “That’s because you have a good heart.” Rhone resisted the strange urge to hug Adam and promise him that plenty of good people still existed in the world, ones who didn’t cheat on their significant others. People like Rhone. God, where did that come from? Instead, he reached down and took Adam’s hand, linking their fingers together. They had a job to finish. Adam’s gaze widened and darted up to Rhone’s, full of panic and questions. “In case the professor or his woman friend saw us duck in here,” Rhone explained. He tugged Adam out into the sparse flow of foot traffic. “Just like if we were a man and woman, we need to maintain the image of a couple until we get back to the car.”   Adam straightened and walked by Rhone’s side, their fingers intertwined, swinging just a little bit in what made them look like a new, eager, young couple. Adam’s palm sweated terribly, but he couldn’t make it stop. Rhone squeezed and gave Adam’s hand a little shake. “Don’t worry so much. You did a great job. You maintained your focus over the course of a long day, and you asked me a lot of good questions.” Rhone’s voice remained steady, and he maintained their leisurely pace to the vehicle. “You’ve earned the promotion from gopher to trainee. I know I won’t regret it.” “Thanks.” Adam felt his face flush. He had the fleeting, terrifying thought that he wished they’d parked the car a million miles away. © Cameron Dane, May 2008 All Rights Reserved